why can't we sell?!

mrshightower

Thanks everyone.

Harry's dad, we would love to stay in the estate, we absolutely love where we live, love our house, love the view etc. We actually looked in to putting a conservatory on the back but it just didn't stack up with what it would have cost and it would have virtually eliminated our small back garden. Not much comes on in the estate, we actually lost out very recently on the house we had our heart set on - we had made the mistake of going to look and then mentally moving in... we were devastated..so we decided we aren't going to view anything else until we sell. There's one on at the moment but it's on at offers in the region of 280k - we can't really afford the SDLT so there's no massive rush. Maybe things will look better in the Spring.

Thanks for the comments everyone... will take it on board.

phoebe1989seb

Great views but unappealing front elevation and no floor plan would discourage me from viewing were I looking for a newish starter home in your area. I definitely think some *kerb appeal* is called for, by way of something to soften the harsh exterior. Internally it looks well-presented and despite being an odd shape (again not sure due to lack of floor plan), the kitchen looks well-equipped and modern. Obviously the small size/lack of 3rd bedroom will deter some buyers, but I would agree that the price seems to be the main concern. Having a floor plan on the listing should weed out those who need more space/want a certain configuration of rooms......

Dark_Star

Is there any way you can swap the cot for a single bed? Perhaps people are not seeing the 2nd bedroom as a full size one?

A nicer picture of the front with some sort of plant or 2 in a pot (that you can take with you)

Better pictures of the bathroom & kitchen would help - perhaps take the kitchen one standing at the sink or as far back as you can?

It's neat/clean/tidy/well decorated....I think you just need better pictures & a floor plan.

What about an "open house day"?

harrys_dad

Have you considered a two story extension on the side? This would give more downstairs space for a kitchen/diner, and room for a third bedroom upstairs. No need to move then, so saving on all the associated costs, and you can stay in your lovely situation with those gorgeous views.

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

The picture with the decking needs a couple of chairs, with a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table to really sell the concept.

mrshightower

Harry's dad - yeah we did talk about it as someone round the corner did it, but we don't really have a huge amount of ground to play with and it doesn't quite get us what we are after (hubby really wants a garage and we really would like 4 bedrooms). Plus I would feel really bad about blocking our across the street neighbours' view!

I guess we just need to bide our time and do as some of you have kindly suggested.

Since we took the bedroom pics we have actually converted our wee boy's cot into a junior bed and repainted that room (wee monkey pulled the wallpaper off!). We also do tell the viewers that we had that room as a double before our son came along (which is true).

I will speak to the agent about taking new pics of the kitchen and bathroom and about a floor plan. Hubby is a graphic designer so he could do it no problem if the agent wants to charge us a fortune.

moneyistooshorttomention

Fruit_and_Nut_Case wrote: »

The picture with the decking needs a couple of chairs, with a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table to really sell the concept.

Agreed.

One tiny little point here being it looks as if there is one bit of balustrade on that decking missing. Can you replace that and that then knocks off one little task that any would-be viewer is mentally adding to their list of "things to do"? Don't know whats beyond that decking and nor would anyone else and might feel it looked a bit "safer" if that were replaced.

googler

mrshightower wrote: »

yeah, I'm aware of those, but although in the same town they are in quite different areas with totally different surroundings.

Is this common knowledge to all house buyers, or just something that the locals would know?

What's different?

Ivana_Tinkle

The photo of the front of the house is by far the least appealing of the lot - the interior looks lovely and the views are spectacular. Would you consider using a different photo as the "main" one? I know people often say they find that offputting but personally if I saw a photo of your views I'd click through to see what the house was like, whereas I'm afraid if I saw the exterior shot of your house I wouldn't bother to look further. If you're not getting viewers anyway it might be worth a try.

LondonDreamer

I wouldn't lower the price, but ditch "offers over" - being right at the SDLT threshold and asking for more implies to buyers they'll have to pay that which adds quite a chunk to their upfront costs. Particularly since I'm assuming FTBs are the main market for your size home, so they're probably scraping together every last penny to buy.

You definitely need a floor plan as others have stated, and a better photo of the kitchen. The size doesn't bother me too much (would prefer bigger, but not a deal breaker in that size house) but from that angle I can't tell if there's a window in it or not and there's no floor plan to check the actual layout. The dark wall taking up most of that photo doesn't help with the perceived lack of light.

Better photos across the board if possible, they're not terrible but using a wider lens so you can see more of the rooms would help. Particularly your son's room, which is nicely presented but looks tiny in that photo. I wouldn't think it was a double if I hadn't read it in the description - which I don't normally read. Any room that has a view, make sure to get properly exposed photos that show it! Will add a lot to the appeal, IMO.

On street view, it looks like you have a garden bed under that front window. Is it still there? I'd pop in some cheerful large plants (in pots if you want to take them with you) and also some on the deck, which looks a little unloved/unused which is surprising given the amazing view. Put some chairs around the table, at the very least. I'd agree with the poster who suggested using one of the view photos as your main pic to draw more people to your listing.

For me, the one thing putting me off is the main pic. The side feels very open, like anyone could walk off the street and join you in the back garden. I'd consider taking the photo from another direction. Straight on or slightly angled left would still show a glimpse of the view, but minimise the lack of privacy issue. The side of your house isn't appealing (sorry) so doesn't add anything being photographed from that angle. I'd also take it from further back, you have a decent amount of front garden and a driveway, but that picture makes it look like you could be directly on the road.

Overall though, I do like your house.

ETA: Just saw the below post. Would agree to get rid of the line about reduction, sounds like you're desperate to sell. Which you may be for reasons completely unrelated to the house, but buyers could interpret it to mean that there's something massively wrong with the property and/or area.